The ChinaClubHQ Ltd (CCHQ) is committed to providing an introduction and insight into Chinese language and culture for both Primary and Secondary schools. It aims to provide content which is comprehensive, regularly updated and embraces a variety of media formats and devices for the benefit of blended, flexible and mobile learning. YCP is in partnership with CCHQ to develop greater insights into the diverse roles our young Chinese professionals are playing in Scotland. We aim to increase the awareness of the functions of these professionals to the Scotland-China relations and developments in Scottish schools.


text:
Incompressible Dynamics
— Dynamics that are Hard to Summarize —
From Linear to Nonlinear
From Chaos to Creativity
Complexity Economics
Complexity Economics studies economies that operates in a two dimensional space — one dimension is obviously "Trade + Investment", but the other is "Innovation + Complexity".
Trade is the dimension that gets the most press, for it is the short-term dimension of GDP numbers and current economic activity; but complexity is far and away the more important dimension for it is the long-term dimension of progress and innovation — the dimension that both, makes an economy more interesting and diverse, and increases the economy's international competitiveness, all through the work of the "Invisible Hand"…
Anyone who has studied even a little bit of economics will have learnt early on that free markets are driven by the competitive forces of supply and demand. In 1776 Scottish Philosopher Adam Smith, the so-called "Father of Economics", published "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations". In this classic work Smith told us how the most efficient economies are the one which self-organize themselves; pulled, as if by an "invisible hand", to the optimal economic equilibrium by the competitive forces of supply and demand. Despite the brilliance of this inspired work, and the work of many other great economists over the last two and half centuries, economics is still often considered more art than science!
Much of the reason for this "lack of full scientific status" is that there has never been a proper framework for the scientific study of economics. Complexity Theory potentially fills that gap. Complexity theory explains economic behavior as the typical but complex mathematical behavior of a "Complex Adaptive System".
A CAS is a self-organizing system of interacting parts – something akin to a system which has an "invisible hand" of internal self-organization. But before we address the idea of the economy as a self-organizing system, spontaneously self-organizing to an economic equilibrium; let us first examine the concept of equilibrium in general…
The concept of equilibrium is well known to the science of physics, where it crops up a lot; but most prominently in mechanics and thermodynamics.
In mechanics, there is the concept of a "Body at Equilibrium". Isaacs Newton described a body to be at equilibrium if any and all forces, which may be acting on the body, net out to zero, (and as a result the behaviour of the body is unchanging).
In thermodynamics, there is the concept of "Thermal Equilibrium". Thermodynamics deals with "systems" moving to, and being "at equilibrium". Thermodynamics describes a system to be at thermal equilibrium when the macroscopic state of the system is, to all intents and purposes, unchanging.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics (SLOT) is the law of physics that deals with how the spontaneous distribution of energy unrelentingly pulls a thermal system to thermal equilibrium. In everyday terms the SLOT is simply the fact that cold milk and hot coffee, if left unstirred, will spontaneously mix themselves…
Despite the fact that this seems to be rather common innocuous everyday behaviour, the SLOT is nevertheless considered to be one of the most important laws of physics (if not the most important); and the reason for this exalted status is that the SLOT is both a "Probabilistic Law" and also the "Law of Maximum Entropy"!
Entropy is a concept that deals with amount of disorder in a system. It is widely understood that the spontaneous gravitational pull to maximum entropy is not restricted to simple thermal systems. Due to its underlying probabilistic nature, the SLOT has led to the universal understanding that all spontaneous change (in any system of whatever type) ultimately leads to maximum disorder. This of course beggars the question that if the SLOT applies to all systems of any type, then "how can a complex economy arise and sustain itself without some external organizing force?"
Complex Adaptive System
Oddly enough, some 74 years before the concept of the entropy and the SLOT had even come into existence, Adam Smith had already answered this question by suggesting that an economy could self-organized itself into existence. Smith more or less described how, in a free market economy, an "invisible hand" – operating from within the economy itself – can pull a system away from a thermal equilibrium to an equilibrium of ever increasing complexity.
At its most simple, the human race is nothing more than a system with a large number of individual parts. If every human being (within this system) acted totally independently of every other human being, then the human race as a whole would behave very much like a thermal system. People however, in general, do not behave independently of each other, but have a tendency to co-operate and compete, and it is this tendency to adapt to each other, that causes the human race to behave less like a thermal system, and more like a Complex Adaptive System.
Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand of Innovation
In their simplest form, free markets ensure that competition among producers will bring forth the lowest price (at given quantity) for consumers, and similarly competition among the consumers will bring forth the highest price (at given quantity) for producers. Thus, in its simplest form, a free market will self-organize a balancing equilibrium between supply and demand and, in so doing, thus brings forth the best available price for both buyers and sellers.
But the real juice of free markets is not in its ability to identify "the best equilibrium price" but its motivation towards productivity and innovation. In free markets, it is the "competition of ideas" that ultimately spurs "innovation" (in both products and production); which, as Adam Smith identified, acts like an "invisible hand" to the benefit of society as a whole!
Complex Adaptive Economy
"Chaos Theory" has shown us that there is more to equilibrium than meets the eye. Chaos Theory introduced us to the idea that there can be many different forms of equilibrium, showing us that equilibrium can, in reality, be a multi-dimensional space!
In economics, equilibrium is fundamentally a 2-dimensional space. Markets are the price and quantity exchange dimension of equilibrium (how diversity in the economy is integrated through trade), and the economy as a whole is the complexity dimension (how the constant interplay of innovative emergence and upheaval, evolves the "micro-economic structure" of the economy to ever greater complexity).
When Adam Smith described the economy as a naturally self-organizing system, he was essentially talking about the complexity dimension of a Complex Adaptive System. And when he talked about an invisible hand, what he had essentially identified was that individuals acting in their own self-interest adapt to each other, and, in so doing, the economy as a whole self-organizes itself away from a thermal economic equilibrium to a more structural, more complex economic equilibrium.
In the concept and use of the phase "invisible hand", Adam Smith had essentially identified how structure and complexity emerges and grows in the "Complex Adaptive Economy" (CAE).
[Click here for a more detailed explanation of what drives the emergence of spontaneous order in a Complex Adaptive System.]
Spectrum of Equilibrium
Left to itself a CAE will self-organize itself to some form of economic equilibrium; but this is not an equilibrium in the price dimension (dealing with the supply and demand of goods); this is an equilibrium in the complexity dimension (dealing with the emergence and upheaval of innovative diversity).
This complex equilibrium is an evolving, dynamic equilibrium, which might sound to some as a contradiction in terms, but Chaos Theory has shown us that the "structure" of equilibrium need not be restricted to the dull and boring, there is in fact is a whole spectrum of possible equilibriums ranging from thermal to chaotic, and the "optimal" complex equilibrium lies somewhere in between…
Complex Equilibrium
"Complexity Theory" is essentially the study of the structure of complex equilibrium. Complexity Theory shows us that a complex equilibrium is actually a coarse version of thermal equilibrium. Complexity is essentially "Coarse Entropy"!
A thermal equilibrium we know is a dull uninteresting featureless affair. A complex equilibrium on the other hand is far from dull and boring; it is an intricately layered structured equilibrium that has self-organized itself into existence.
A complex equilibrium is a progressive structure of integrated emergent diversity (that emerges, layer upon layer, from the bottom up), self-organized and fine-tuned by mutually adaptive, symmetry-breaking, co-emergence. Progress in a CAE is driven by the constant balancing interplay of innovation and upheaval; innovation brings forth the new at the expense of the old!
The economy is a Complex Adaptive System (CAS) and the "Micro-economics" of this CAS operates in 2 different dimensions, that are normally confused as being one and the same!
In micro-economics, equilibrium is fundamentally a 2-dimensional space. Trade is one dimension, the economy (or more accurately economic structural complexity) is the other. When Adam Smith talked about the "Invisible Hand", what he was really talking about was the complexity dimension; how in a CAE some form of "Invisible Hand" guides the "micro-economic structure" of the economy to an ever more complex economic equilibrium…
Economics is often considered the "Dismay Science" because of its enduring focus on the competition for scarce resources. But the progression away from this most basic of economic equilibriums – to more complex economic equilibrium structures – first occurred, and continues to occur, when innovation "replaces" direct competition…
Complexity Theory shows that the "Invisible Hand" is more about competitive and complementary innovation, than competitive fighting over scarce resources. A CAE is a driven-damped system; driven by innovation and damped by natural entropic decay.
In this driven-damped system it is the constant "interplay" – of diversification and integration, of upheaval and rejuvenation, repeated over and over, at every level of scale – that acts like "an invisible hand" both driving and fine-tuning Spontaneous Economic Self-Organization and the Emergence of Every Greater Economic Progress and Complexity!
And so it would appear that Complexity Theory applied to the CAE confirms what Adam Smith suggested back in 1776 "Free Markets and Competition lead to Innovation at the Cheapest Possible Price to the Benefit of All".
But, as serendipitous as all this might seem, this natural unfolding of a bountiful economy still relies heavily on the "efficient" guidance of the invisible hand – but unfortunately efficiency is not always guaranteed!
The "Micro-economic Structure" of the self-organized economy may well be driven by the constant fine-tuning interplay of innovation and upheaval; but if this "Macro-economic Behavior" (of this fine-tuning interplay) is somehow disrupted then,
The self-organized, economic equilibrium – like any other driven damped system – can still be vulnerable to "coarse synchronicity and chaos"…
Website Reboot No.3
The Coming Age of Augmented Creativity
From Creation to Creativity…
The Universal Dynamics of Everything…
What Drives Deep Creativity?
What Drives Consciousness and Deep Intuition?
What's Driving Evolution?
The Coming Age of Accelerated Evolution!
Why this will be the Century of Complexity…
Why it's Great to be Rich!
Mathematics and Economics
Compressible Systems
Incompressible Systems
Incompressible Economics
Incompressible Financial Markets
Incompressible Dynamics Proudly powered by WordPress

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Faith Is Bad For Humanity
Should you believe in a God? Not according to most academic philosophers. A comprehensive survey revealed that only about 14 percent of English speaking professional philosophers are theists. As for what little religious belief remains among their colleagues, most professional philosophers regard it as a strange aberration among otherwise intelligent people. Among scientists the situation is much the same. Surveys of the members of the National Academy of Sciences, composed of the most prestigious scientists in the world, show that religious belief among them is practically nonexistent, about 7 percent.
Now nothing definitely follows about the truth of a belief from what the majority of philosophers or scientists think. But such facts might cause believers discomfort. There has been a dramatic change in the last few centuries in the proportion of believers among the highly educated in the Western world. In the European Middle Ages belief in a God was ubiquitous, while today it is rare among the intelligentsia. This change occurred primarily because of the rise of modern science and a consensus among philosophers that arguments for the existence of gods, souls, afterlife and the like were unconvincing.
There is a strong correlation between religious belief and various measures of social dysfunction including homicides, the proportion of people incarcerated, infant mortality, sexually transmitted diseases, teenage births, abortions, corruption, income inequality and more.
While no causal relationship has been established, a United Nations list of the 20 best countries to live in shows the least religious nations generally at the top. Only in the United States, which was ranked as the 13th best country to live in, is religious belief strong relative to other countries. Moreover, virtually all the countries with comparatively little religious belief ranked high on the list of best countries, while the majority of countries with strong religious belief ranked low. While correlation does not equal causation, the evidence should give pause to religion's defenders. There are good reasons to doubt that religious belief makes people's lives go better, and good reasons to believe that they make their lives go worse.
Despite all this most people still accept some religious claims. But this fact doesn't give us much reason to accept religious claims. People believe many weird things that are completely irrational—astrology, fortunetelling, alien abductions, telekinesis and mind reading—and reject claims supported by an overwhelming body of evidence—biological evolution for example. More than three times as many Americans believe in the virgin birth of Jesus than in biological evolution, although few theologians take the former seriously, while no serious biologist rejects the latter!
Scientists don't take surveys of the public to determine whether relativity or evolutionary theory are true; their truth is assured by the evidence as well as by resulting technologies—global positioning and flu vaccines work. With the wonders of science every day attesting to its truth, why do many prefer superstition and pseudo science? The simplest answer is that people believe what they want to, what they find comforting, not what the evidence supports: In general, people don't want to know; they want to believe. This best summarizes why people tend to believe.
But we shouldn't be deceived. Although there are many educated religious believers, including some philosophers and scientists, religious belief declines with educational attainment, particularly with scientific education. Studies also show that religious belief declines among those with higher IQs. Hawking, Dennett and Dawkins are not outliers, and neither is Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
Or consider this anecdotal evidence. Among the intelligentsia it is common and widespread to find individuals who lost childhood religious beliefs as their education in philosophy and the sciences advanced. By contrast, it is almost unheard of to find disbelievers in youth who came to belief as their education progressed. This asymmetry is significant; advancing education is detrimental to religious belief. This suggest another part of the explanation for religious belief—scientific illiteracy.
the burden of proof is not on the disbeliever to demonstrate there are no gods, but on believers to demonstrate that there are. Believers are not justified in affirming their belief on the basis of another's inability to conclusively refute them, any more than a believer in invisible elephants can command my assent on the basis of my not being able to "disprove" the existence of the aforementioned elephants. If the believer can't provide evidence for a god's existence, then I have no reason to believe in gods.
If someone makes a claim without concern for reasons and evidence, we should conclude that they simply don't care about what's true. We shouldn't conclude that their beliefs are true because they are fervently held.
Another problem is that fideism—basing one's beliefs exclusively on faith—makes belief arbitrary, leaving no way to distinguish one religious belief from another. Fideism allows no reason to favor your preferred beliefs or superstitions over others.
If I must accept your beliefs without evidence, then you must accept mine, no matter what absurdity I believe in.
But is belief without reason and evidence worthy of rational beings? Doesn't it perpetuate the cycle of superstition and ignorance that has historically enslaved us? I agree with W.K. Clifford. "It is wrong always, everywhere and for everyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Why? Because your beliefs affect other people, and your false beliefs may harm them.
Faith without reason doesn't satisfy most of us, hence our willingness to seek reasons to believe. If those reasons are not convincing, if you conclude that religious beliefs are untrue, then religious answers to life's questions are worthless. You might comfort yourself by believing that little green dogs in the sky care for you but this is just nonsense, as are any answers attached to such nonsense. Religion may help us in the way that whisky helps a drunk, but we don't want to go through life drunk. If religious beliefs are just vulgar superstitions, then we are basing our lives on delusions. And who would want to do that?
Why is all this important? Because human beings need their childhood to end; they need to face life with all its bleakness and beauty, its lust and its love, its war and its peace. They need to make the world better. No one else will.
Above is excerpted from…
John G. Messerly who is the author of "The Meaning of Life: Religious, Philosophical, Scientific, and Transhumanist Perspectives." He blogs these issues daily at reasonandmeaning.com. You can follow him on Twitter @hume1955.
MORE JOHN G. MESSERLY.


This VGA to 4k HDMI Converter allows you to connect any source having a VGA output to an HDMI equipped display. Use this device to connect a PC or a laptop with a VGA output to a TV or projector with an HDMI input.
The converter will handle many input resolutions as listed below. There is no conversion or scaling of resolution so for example, a 1920 x 1080p VGA input will result in a 1920 x 1080 HDMI output and a 1280 x 720 VGA input will result in a 1280 x 720 HDMI output.
The input connection on this device is a standard 15 pin VGA connector for video and a 3.5mm stereo audio socket for audio The outputs is a standard full size HDMI socket carrying picture and sound. A USB lead is provided for external power.


text:
Spotify is branching out of music with original video
By Parker Wilhelm 09 May 2016
12 exclusive shows are in the works
Spotify wants to grab your eyes in addition to your ears, as the music streaming company is adding original video content produced exclusively for its once aural-only service.
Twelve different shows are reported to be in the works, each thematically revolving around Spotify's primary export - music - and include talent such as Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons and actor Tim Robbins, of The Shawshank Redemption and Jacob's Ladder fame.
Simmons and his production company, All Def Digital, will produce a reality competition series called Rush Hour, in which hip-hop artists are tasked to create a collaborative piece on the fly that will then be performed live - kind of like a rhythmic version of working on a group project on the bus ride to school the day it's due.
Tim Robbins will produce a mockumentary-style series involving a faux competition to uncover the world's next dance music sensation, which we can only imagine will be some strange hybrid of Britain's Got Talent and a techno-flavored This is Spinal Tap.
The next episode
Several other projects remain in development, including Landmark, a documentary series covering major moments in music history. The first two episodes cover the rise of Metallica and the creation of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" album.
"Music will always be most important, but our audience likes us and wants more from us," said Tom Calderone, Spotify's global head of content partnerships and a former Viacom exec. "We have to figure out a second act, and I think it will come out of video."
Future plans for Spotify also include collaborations with artists on upcoming albums - perhaps something akin to Lemonade - as well as comedy and animation series to round out the service's video tab.
Spotify's current video offerings have been available since the beginning of this year, but don't get much push from the app as it's comprised mostly of short clips from TV shows or YouTube channels rather than full-length programs.
The music streaming service has also made an effort to add podcasts to its repertoire in pursuit of, in Calderone's words, that "second act". It's a sentiment shared by other services like Apple Music and Tidal, which have also attached themselves to video projects.
Will Spotify have what it takes to take on Apple and YouTube while also tackling giants like Hulu and Netflix? I feel the answer is "most likely not," but I can't fault any attempt to get the most out of our monthly Spotify Premium subscription besides that sweet, sweet Discover Weekly playlist.
While we're on the topic, you should probably change your Spotify password
Via Bloomberg and Engadget
See more Audio news


text:
Home » Sport » El Clasico: La Liga ask for Barcelona-Real Madrid game to be moved
El Clasico: La Liga ask for Barcelona-Real Madrid game to be moved
La Liga has asked for El Clasico on 26 October to be moved from Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium to Real Madrid's Bernabeu over fears of civil unrest.
There have been days of protest in Barcelona after nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed on Monday.
More protests are expected in the city on the day of the match.
La Liga made the request to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), citing "exceptional circumstances beyond our control".
The request has not been made to Barcelona or Real Madrid. BBC Sport has contacted both clubs for comment.
Both clubs will be asked by the RFEF to give their opinion, with the Federation's competitions committee to make its decision in the next few days.
The Catalan Football Federation suspended all matches in the region on Monday, although that ruling does not affect La Liga matches or the Spanish national team.
Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in north-east Spain and in a referendum on 1 October 2017, declared illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court, about 90% of Catalan votes cast backed independence. Turnout was 43%.
The nine separatists were convicted of sedition over their role in the referendum and handed jail sentences of between nine and 13 years by Spain's Supreme Court.
Following the sentencing, Barcelona said: "Prison is not the solution."
The Spanish champions added: "Now more than ever, the club asks all political leaders to lead a process of dialogue and negotiation to resolve this conflict, which should also allow for the release of convicted civic and political leaders.
"FC Barcelona also expresses all its support and solidarity to the families of those who are deprived of their freedom."
CategorySport
How Does Tamra Judge from 'RHOC' Feel About Alexis Bellino?
Kathy Griffin in contact with FBI after violent Trump video


Painted utility boxes in San Jose: Egyptian-themed, Taiko cat, Native American, Birds in car, Jazz musicians, Coyote, Courthouse, Animals.
Click here to vote on a mobile device.
Plato is often quoted as the first to say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Whoever uttered the words would understand the contest I've been running for the past few weeks to name the best painted utility boxes in San Jose. Now it's time for readers to go online to pick the winners.
The painting of the drab gray utility boxes, known as "art boxes" once adorned, might be one of the very best things to happen in San Jose over the past few years. It's brought an explosion of color and whimsy to our streets.
In my contest, I divided nominations from readers into three categories — the most eye-catching, personal favorites and the box that best brightens a difficult corner.
If you need shorthand for those categories, "eye-catching" means the vibrancy and color of the box. "Personal favorites" is a general category that can encompass a story or the setting. And brightening a difficult corner? It should explain itself.
I got nearly 40 nominations, mostly from neighborhood people who have quietly adopted the boxes on their walks or commutes. Three eminent judges — OK, some folks I know and trust — then went through the nominations to pick the finalists.
The next job is up to you, dear reader: It's time to think inside the box. If you go to www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold, you'll have a chance to vote for the winners. We should have three of them — one for each category.
Before I describe the finalists, let me add this note: I'm convinced I only touched the surface. If you go to Facebook and type in the words "art box sj," you'll see even more wonderful decorated boxes. You can find a map of the boxes at www.goo.gl/FJe78R.
Finally, as always, thanks should go to Tina Morrill, the volunteer extraordinaire who began the project and puts together donors with the artists who paint the boxes. The donor puts up $250 to defray the artist's time and expense.
EYE-CATCHING — San Jose Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, who has done more than any other elected official to further the art box project, says one of his favorites is the Egyptian-themed box across from the Rosicrucian Museum, near Park and Naglee avenues in the Rose Garden area of San Jose.
You can see why: The various symbols painted by artist Michelle Waters fit neatly with the museum. And they are colorful in their own right — a parade of hieroglyphics next to a white-clad Egyptian figure carrying three tulips.
The Rosicrucian box — I'll call it that — faces competition from two others: One is the "Taiko Cat" — of Japantown, a box by Yurika Chiba at Seventh and Taylor streets that shows a rotund cat drumming happily. "Our whole family loves 'Taiko Cat,' " said Cyndi Sakuma, who nominated it. Fish adorn a thinner box nearby.
The last entrant is a colorful Native American box outside the Indian Health Center at 13th and Santa Clara streets. Painted by artist Mona Lemon and nominated by Kathy Richmond, it offers a connection to the center and a collage of Southwestern color.
PERSONAL FAVORITES — Debbie Palmer, who lives in northern Willow Glen, adores the art box near Bird and Coe avenues done by former Mercury News cartoonist Scott Willis. Willis has done a "birds in a car" — theme, a nice pun that includes a Harley eagle and the palm trees of Palm Haven.
"It never ceases to make me smile," says Palmer, who notes the "eggmobile" delivery truck and the minivan with the mom-bird driving a bunch of gape-mouthed chicks.
When I tried to persuade Palmer to offer other suggestions, she declined. But there is another popular and very strong entrant from Willow Glen — the art box of the jazz ensemble on Lincoln Avenue near Willow Street. Painted by Micah Bariteau and recommended again by Oliverio, the box has a hip but Old World feel that fits the street.
The last finalist is the coyote on the box at Silver Creek Valley Road and Coyote road in the southwestern edge of San Jose. Done by artist Claudia Cornish and nominated by San Josean Tony Gaechter, it reminds us of the abundance of wildlife in San Jose.
BRIGHTENING A BAD CORNER — Bonnie Ross, an attorney with the law firm of Robinson & Wood, has always been bothered by the sterility of the intersection at Market and St. James streets, next to the civil courthouse. The traffic can make it feel like the continuation of the freeway. And it can take forever to cross the street.
Knowing that a new courthouse would be going up just north of the spot, Ross set upon the idea of trying to introduce the courts to people new to the legal system.
Done by artist David Mejia, the box nicely conveys that message of diversity — though there are no recognizable San Jose lawyers or judges. Full disclosure: This one is a house nomination from the Mercury News.
The judicial box, however, has strong competition from a colorful art box on Julian Street just west of Stockton Avenue, near the underpass leading to the SAP arena. Sponsored by Billy DeFrank LGBGT Community Center and funded by Supervisor Ken Yeager and Jon Snell, this box honors the 1980s gay movement on Stockton.
Artist Marcus Anthony Cota, who rode his bike from the East Side to do the work, has created a stunning mix of creatures — butterflies, caterpillars, snails, cats, bees, etc. "This box defiantly deserves some shout-out," said coordinator Rick Bernard, who nominated it. We agree.


Report: Please visit Grants:PEG/WM EE/2013/Report to read this report, comment on this report, or review its status.
Annual Grant Application for 2013.
Current grant will cover the activities of Wikimedia Eesti on year 2013. Unfortunately, we have been overwhelmed by work, so we got this ready only in June.
NO. Non-profit, but currently without charity status and the according tax exemption.
Estonian Science Photo of the Year: We want to get a lot of photos and compose a traveling exhibition. Hoping for about 600 images.
Estonian-Armenian cooperation week:To have more and better articles about Armenia.
HELP 4: We want to get a lot of photos and gain some media coverage.
Wiki Loves Monuments: to have a lot of people participating, and to get a lot of photographs.
Free culture: to publish the book in 2014.
Wikiexpeditions: The aim of wikiexpeditions is to gather material about the region and establish local contacts.
Quiz show in Tartu: Project goal is to show Wikipedians in the best possible light amongst smart people.
Image project with Vanemuine theater: To have a large bunch of photos transferred to Commons, all together with properly described metadata, including license information. Integration into articles will probably take some time.
Cooperation with the Estonian Association for History and Philosophy of Science: To include all 8000 articles on Estonian scientists from the lexicon, properly formatted and referenced. By estimation, about 6000 of them are new, and 2000 persons have already been described in Estonian Wikipedia to some extent.
Digitization program: To have a significant part of the license-free compulsory Estonian literature in Wikisource. In the long run, our goal is to forge a partnership with the abovementioned institutions, compose a joint project and apply for funding for EU and local financial structures to ensure the continuance of the project.
Education program: Get more good articles and raise the awareness about Wikipedia. Hopefully also get some more Wikipedians.
Wikimania: See people, talk to people, spread ideas, get ideas.
WMCEE: See people, talk to people, spread ideas, get ideas.
Wikipedia Summer Days: The main aim is to motivate people.
Promotional materials: Producing useful, mostly inexpensive, but also original promotional materials.
Motivational events: Our motivational events are strictly motivational. Bonding, conflict resolution, idea exchange, etc.
Professionalization: To avoid overworking and desperation, while getting all financial and communicational matters in order on a sensible schedule.
Estonian-Armenian cooperation week: at least 50 improved articles about Armenia in Estonian Wikipedia, and at least 10 improved articles about Estonia in Armenian Wikipedia.
Wiki Loves Monuments: we hope to get more pictures than we got the last time (that is more than 3100 images) and also increase the geographical coverage (last time, it was mostly Tallinn and a little bit of Tartu).
Free culture: publishing Free Culture in at least 1,000 copies and having it distributed amongst the target groups.
Wikiexpeditions: An expedition will be considered successful if there will be at least 150 new photographs on Commons (hopefully many more), all the necessary people will have been met and all the photographs have been incorporated into articles on Estonian Wikipedia.
Image project with Vanemuine theater: at least new 100 photos in Commons.
Cooperation with the Estonian Association for History and Philosophy of Science: About 6000 new and 2000 improved articles in Estonian Wikipedia.
Digitization program: Last year, we already published several books; this year, we would be happy to increase the number.
Education program: A lot of content, everything edited in time, no noticeable disruptions for the readers and a joyful atmosphere for Wikipedians.
Wikimania: We will have been represented, and initiate new cooperative projects.
WMCEE: It would be best if we could get at least one of our own ideas going in CEE cooperation, but we won't have failed if we at least start participating in someone else's CEE project. No matter whose it is, if it's good.
Wikipedia Summer Days: And they edited Wikipedia happily ever after.
Promotional materials: It will be a success if people will like our stuff, both Wikipedians and sane persons.
Motivational events: People come eagerly and leave happily.
Professionalization: Everything in order by the right time.
The annual photo competition. Last year, there were some excellent pictures by top-notch photographers. Now, we want the same, only more and, if possible, even better.
Project goal: we want to get a lot of photos and compose a traveling exhibition. Hoping for about 600 images.
Fit to strategy: outreach and increase of participation. In 2012 we are working hard to cover Estonian science (e.g. creating articles about all notable Estonian scientists).
A mutual cooperation week: Armenians will write articles about Estonia, Estonians about Armenia. We already have an Armenian portal in et.wp.
Project goal: to have more and better articles about Armenia.
Fit to strategy: International cooperation is a good thing, right?
Other benefits: media, both in Estonia and Armenia.
Measures of success: at least 50 improved articles about Armenia in Estonian Wikipedia, and at least 10 improved articles about Estonia in Armenian Wikipedia.
Team members: Oop. We also hope for someone from the Armenian Wikipedia.
The fourth annual photo competition for the photographs of Estonian nature.
We want to get a lot of photos and gain some media coverage.
No non-financial requirements. The budget of the event is minimal (both HELP and HELP2 have been done with almost no expenses).
The participation in WLM has been nice and steady in Estonia. It could be better, but we're not yet sure how to achieve that. We'd also like to improve the quality of the images, and diversify the activities geographically.
Project goal: to have a lot of people participating, and to get a lot of photographs.
Fit to strategy: outreach and participation, definitely.
Other benefits: the competition may lead to new articles in Estonian Wikipedia and this is a good chance to find some people who could start making pictures for Wikipedia.
Measures of success: we hope to get more pictures than we got the last time (that is more than 3100 images) and also increase the geographical coverage (last time, it was mostly Tallinn and a little bit of Tartu).
Team members: Adeliine, WikedKentaur, Kruusamägi. We have also started contacting local youth centers to include their photo enthusiasts.
Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture is one of the most important books about the culture that has created Wikimedia movement. Translating such seminal works is important for providing the social environment that is necessary for its proliferation. We already have the translation (by a joint member of WMEE and the Estonian chapter of The Internet Society (ISOC) - Eesti Interneti Kogukond), we're trying to engage other sources of financing (including crowdsourcing) and we're going to publish it in cooperation with ISOC Estonia. ISOC intends to spread Free Culture amongst both politicians - who make the decisions about our legal environment - and school libraries - where readers are the people who will make these decisions in the future.
Project goal: to publish the book in 2014.
Non-financial requirements: a translator, an editor, legal consults, cooperation with ISOC and publishers.
Other benefits: a lot of fuss about the book, spreading the word.
Measures of success: publishing Free Culture in at least 1,000 copies and having it distributed amongst the target groups.
Team members: Irve, Oop. Also, members of Estonian ISOC.
We're planning to do at least two wikiexpeditions. Their size, length and targets are up to the participants.
Project goal: The aim of wikiexpeditions is to gather material about the region and establish local contacts.
Non-financial requirements: There has to be a prepared route covering the main localities that need to be photographed. There will be a list of necessary photos (buildings, places, possibly people). Also, there preliminary contacts should be established and agreements for meetings set.
Fit to strategy: More useful content on the regions that should have better coverage.
Measures of success: An expedition will be considered successful if there will be at least 150 new photographs on Commons (hopefully many more), all the necessary people will have been met and all the photographs have been incorporated into articles on Estonian Wikipedia.
Wikipedian team has been competing in the quiz series of University of Tartu quite successfully, recently even winning one event. (It's notable because our team includes no long-time (semi)professional quizzers, just ordinary Wikipedians.) We arranged one event in the series, composing our own questions for all the other teams to solve. It was on February 22nd, and was met with general approval (although our questions might have been a little bit too hard).
Project goal is to show Wikipedians in the best possible light amongst smart people.
Team members: several members of the community.
There are many minor projects in the process of development now. Most of those might not cost anything, or have infinitesimal costs. Some are intended to be realized in the future, beyond the financial horizon of 2013. Still, there might be some unexpected opportunities that we would like to seize, so the bottom line might change.
Vanemuine is the oldest theater in Estonia. We have been working together in the context of the Tartupeedia project, and they are happy to donate photos from the theater's archive.
Project goal: To have a large bunch of photos transferred to Commons, all together with properly described metadata, including license information. Integration into articles will probably take some time.
Non-financial requirements: The hardest problem is to explain all the nuances and rules of Estonian copyright laws to the people who would just want to donate a bunch of photographs. This means we need to work on metadata a lot.
Fit to strategy: quality (more content).
Measures of success: at least new 100 photos in Commons.
Team members: Oop, Pseudacorus, people from the theater.
Project goal: To include all 8000 articles on Estonian scientists from the lexicon, properly formatted and referenced. By estimation, about 6000 of them are new, and 2000 persons have already been described in Estonian Wikipedia to some extent.
Non-financial requirements: We have built a bot, and we're improving that. Also, there has been a lot of fuss about copyright, but it all has been (hopefully) cleared by now.
Fit to strategy: An influential rise in quality in a large field.
Other benefits: Both parties are interested in gaining media coverage. Our highest hope is that the publicity gained from this project could influence some other owners of proprietary lexicons to donate their texts and databases to Wikipedia for further development and modernization.
Measures of success: About 6000 new and 2000 improved articles in Estonian Wikipedia.
Team members: Oop, several members of et.wp community, people from the Association.
We have started a cooperation with the Ministry of Culture for digitization of Estonian literature for Estonian Wikisource. All costs will be covered by the state. Soon, we might also be able to buy an experimental professional-level bookscanner from a local start-up company.
Project goal: To have a significant part of the license-free compulsory Estonian literature in Wikisource. In the long run, our goal is to forge a partnership with the abovementioned institutions, compose a joint project and apply for funding for EU and local financial structures to ensure the continuance of the project.
Fit to strategy: Quality (a lot of new content), possibly financial sustainability.
Other benefits: We aim for a significant media coverage.
Measures of success: Last year, we already published several books; this year, we would be happy to increase the number.
Team members: Oop, a lot of others TBD.
We are working together with the Ministry of Education to include Wikimedia projects more systematically in Estonian education, starting with the universities and secondary schools. This is a large program and if successful, it will take several years.
Project goal: Get more good articles and raise the awareness about Wikipedia. Hopefully also get some more Wikipedians.
Fit to strategy: Participation, cooperation, quality.
Measures of success: A lot of content, everything edited in time, no noticeable disruptions for the readers and a joyful atmosphere for Wikipedians.
As we want to be represented on Wikimania in hong Kong, using the event for international cooperation, exhanging ideas and strengthening ties with the Wikipedian communities all around the world.
Project goal: See people, talk to people, spread ideas, get ideas.
Fit to strategy: Exchange of ideas should count towards "organizational maturity and effectiveness".
Measures of success: We will have been represented, and initiate new cooperative projects.
We intend to send two folks to CEE Wikipedian conference in Poznan. We have several ideas on CEE cooperation that we'd like to discuss with the other chapters.
Measures of success: It would be best if we could get at least one of our own ideas going in CEE cooperation, but we won't have failed if we at least start participating in someone else's CEE project. No matter whose it is, if it's good.
We will sent two persons to Wikimedia Conference in Milan.
The annual gathering of Estonian Wikipedians, discussing all kinds of Wikipedian matters, organizatory and otherwise, solving old feuds and establishing new ones. This year, our general assembly will be a separate event.
Project goal: The main aim is to motivate people.
Fit to strategy: Organizational benefits.
Measures of success: And they edited Wikipedia happily ever after.
We're out of most promotional materials. We would also like to produce a puzzle, a steampunk-style Mendeleev table drawn by a professional artist.
Project goal: Producing useful, mostly inexpensive, but also original promotional materials.
Fit to strategy: strengthening our organizational brand.
Measures of success: It will be a success if people will like our stuff, both Wikipedians and sane persons.
It might be good for Wikipedia if we met a little bit more often. The main costs are to provide transport costs for those who have hard times, and maybe getting a round of snacks for everyone.
Project goal: Our motivational events are strictly motivational. Bonding, conflict resolution, idea exchange, etc.
Fit to strategy: A motivated Wikipedian works more and harder, therefore, organizational maturity and effectiveness.
Measures of success: People come eagerly and leave happily.
It is quite obvious our board has too much to do to continue strictly on the voluntary basis. To manage the needs of strict financial discipline, strengthening demands of various reporting (due to our cooperation with several state agencies and international partners, developing long-term programs and, hopefully, transferring to the FDC system in 2014) and to improve communication, we intend to hire two people. One of them will manage mostly the financial side of the organization, but also a part of our international cooperation; the other will take care of both the secretarial tasks and communication (internal and external). We hope to get by with a modest pay level, comparable to the local job market but still frugal. For the start, we shall hire for six months; if this system works, we'll proceed to permanent positions, hopefully financed by FDC. A professional HR consultant has agreed to help us for a quite modest fee.
Project goal: To avoid overworking and desperation, while getting all financial and communicational matters in order on a sensible schedule.
Fit to strategy: Organizational maturity and effectiveness.
Measures of success: Everything in order by the right time.
Team members: The board, our future employees and an HR consultant.
Memorabilia 1,208 Shirts, diplomas, cups, pens, paper bags and some original stuff.
Trainings 950 Most of this will be spent on training the head of our education program into a trainer so she can officially train educators. We're also working on a more systematic training plan for the chapter as a whole.
Transport 600 Does not include international travel and single projects; mostly, it's for peoples' transport to the Wikimedia and WMEE events.
Office costs 130 Incl. postage fees.
IT costs 100 Domain rents for WLM and Tartupedia etc.
Person1 5,586 6 months, 700 € each. Daily chores and communication.
Person2 5,586 6 months, 700 € each. Finances and part of international cooperation.
Recruitment costs 1,000 We got a very friendly price from a professional.
Wikipedia summer days and WMEE general assemblies 650 This year, we separated the summer days and the GA, so costs will probably vary quite a bit from the previous year.
International travel for projects 2,529.81 At least 9, all inside Europe. The current list: Big Fat Brussels meeting (partial), Metrics meeting in Hungary, Participation in Ukrainian Chernobyl trip, a meeting with EU officials in Brussels, a metrics workshop in Budapest, WMCEE, participation in a Hungarian Wikicamp, a GLAM conference in Vilnius, a diversity meeting in Berlin. Unfortunately, Wikipedians tend to organize important events on a short notice, so they're hard to plan.
Free Culture 1,900 Publishing Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture in cooperation with the Estonian chapter of The Internet Society.
Small and unforeseen projects 950 Includes Armenian cooperation week, participation in university quiz club, nature photography project HELP4 and several other relatively minor projects.
Tartupeedia 900 City-based QRpedia project. Mostly, prizes for the competitions, also some organizational costs.
Travelling exhibitions 700 Includes last WLM and science photo competition. The main part will be exporting an exhibition of Estonian WLM to Sweden.
Illustration project 250 Cooperation with art school(s) for illustrating Wikipedia.
Estonian Science Photo of the Year: outreach and increase of participation. In 2012 we are working hard to cover Estonian science (e.g. creating articles about all notable Estonian scientists).
Estonian-Armenian cooperation week: International cooperation is a good thing, right?
Wiki Loves Monuments: outreach and participation, definitely.
Wikiexpeditions: More useful content on the regions that should have better coverage.
Image project with Vanemuine theater: quality (more content).
Cooperation with the Estonian Association for History and Philosophy of Science: An influential rise in quality in a large field.
Digitization program: Quality (a lot of new content), possibly financial sustainability.
Education program: Participation, cooperation, quality.
Wikimania: Exchange of ideas should count towards "organizational maturity and effectiveness".
WMCEE: Exchange of ideas should count towards "organizational maturity and effectiveness".
Wikipedia Summer Days: Organizational benefits.
Promotional materials: strengthening our organizational brand.
Motivational events: A motivated Wikipedian works more and harder, therefore, organizational maturity and effectiveness.
Professionalization: Organizational maturity and effectiveness.
Mostly, it will benefit the community of Estonian Wikipedia, but also Estonian Wikimedian community at large. Still, a lot of our activity is directed to general public.
Parts of the project include GLAM, education, organizational development and outreach; while we hope to increase the number of local editors, this takes a much longer work.
Any chapter or thematic organization can do as well as us or better.
Locally, we try to develop several Wikimedia projects, influence general social and intellectual climate towards free culture, engage all sorts of organizations and spread the good word. Having a strong Wikimedian community in one country is already a benefit for the movement in general. Internationally activity is a bonus.
This page was last edited on 14 January 2015, at 18:51.


text:
17 New Stations Make DTV Transition
NAB announced that 17 more stations are broadcasting in digital, raising the total to 535 stations. They are: WTNZ-TV - Knoxville, Tenn. (Fox affiliate) WTOK-TV - Meridian, Miss. (ABC affiliate) KAZT-TV - Phoenix, Ariz. (Singly owned independent) WSIL-TV - Paducah, Ky. (ABC affiliate) WSMV-TV - Nashville, Tenn. (NBC a
NAB announced that 17 more stations are broadcasting in digital, raising the total to 535 stations. They are:
WTNZ-TV - Knoxville, Tenn. (Fox affiliate)
WTOK-TV - Meridian, Miss. (ABC affiliate)
KAZT-TV - Phoenix, Ariz. (Singly owned independent)
WSIL-TV - Paducah, Ky. (ABC affiliate)
WSMV-TV - Nashville, Tenn. (NBC affiliate)
WSJV-TV - South Bend, Ind. (Fox affiliate)
KXLT-TV - Rochester, Minn. (Fox affiliate)
KETV-TV - Omaha, Neb. (ABC affiliate)
WBNA-TV - Louisville, Ky. (Pax affiliate)
WWHO-TV - Columbus, OH (UPN affiliate)
WWLP-TV - Springfield, Mass. (ABC affiliate)
WJTC-TV - Mobile, Ala. (UPN affiliate )
WTTE-TV - Columbus, OH (Fox affiliate)
WSYX-TV - Columbus, OH (ABC affiliate)
WGGB-TV - Springfield, Mass. (ABC affiliate)
WHBR-TV - Mobile, Ala. (Christian TV Network-owned independent)
KNIN-TV - Boise, ID (UPN affiliate)
DTV signals are now being transmitted in 154 markets that include 91.97 percent of U.S. TV households. In addition, 46 percent of U.S. TV households are in markets where
broadcasters are delivering four or more DTV signals, according to NAB.
More stations make the DTV transition
For Nashville, Tenn. viewers (DMA#30), four stations have joined its ABC, CBS and NBC counterparts already on the air in digital.
Twenty more television stations are now transmitting a digital signal.
DTV Station Count Now at 733
According to the National Association of Broadcasters, 24 more television stations are transmitting a digital signal: KNAT, Albuquerque, N.M. (Trinity-owned independent) KABY, Aberdeen, S.D. (ABC) KPRY, Pierre, S.D. (ABC) WLUK, Green Bay, Wis. (Fox) KTMD, Houston (Telemundo O&O) KPAZ, Phoenix, Ariz (Trinity-owned inde
Twenty-Two More Stations Transition To DTV
According to the National Association of Broadcasters, 22 more stations have transitioned to digital transition. They are: KDOR, Tulsa, Okla. (Trinity-owned independent) WOTV, Grand Rapids, Mich. (ABC) KOTA, Rapid City, S.D. (ABC) KHSD, Rapid City, SD (Satellite to KOTA) KDUH, Rapid City, SD (Satellite to KOTA) WIAT,
Eight More Stations Make Digital Transition
Eight new stations have begun broadcasting digital signals, according to the National Association of Broadcasters. The eight stations are: * WFRV-TV, Green Bay, Wis. (CBS) * WBZL-TV, Miami, Fla. (WB) * KOB-TV, Albuquerque, N.M. (NBC) * WMC-TV, Memphis, Tenn. (NBC) * WUNP-TV, Raleigh, N.C. (satellite of PBS affiliate)
Nine new stations make DTV transition
The NAB said that as of last week, nine more television stations have begun transmitting a digital signal.
40 New Stations Transition to Digital
NAB announced that 40 more stations are broadcasting in digital, raising the total to 575 stations. They are: WCLF-TV Tampa, Fla. (Network-owned independent) WPXB-TV Boston (NBC-owned independent) WACX-TV Orlando, Fla. (Singly-owned independent) KCTV-TV Kansas City, Mo. (CBS) WLVI-TV Boston (WB) KEYC-TV Mankato, Minn.


The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the publication of new guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the details of how business rates discounts announced in this year's Budget will be allocated.
During the Budget on October 29, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that businesses with a rateable value of under £51,000 would receive a one third discount on their rates bills.
The guidance confirms the discount will be available to eligible businesses for the years 2019/20 and 2020/21. While the exact eligibility criteria are to be determined by local authorities, the guidance recognises the inclusion of petrol forecourts and post offices within the definition of businesses that are "wholly or mainly being used as shops, restaurants, cafes and drinking establishments".


Turns out Barbie is just as into Keith Haring as we are. It was announced today that the iconic doll is getting a revamp courtesy of a Haring-inspired outfit, and the only bad news is that it doesn't look like these clothes come in adult sizes.
Haring, who died in 1990, is best known for his pop art style and graphic dancing figures, though his work was also concerned with social issues, especially AIDS and queer acceptance. In the last several decades, Haring's work has been incorporated into collaborations with brands like Coach and Alice + Olivia, so it's only fitting that Barbie would come next.
Barbie's Haring-inspired outfit features the artist's "Radiant Baby" drawing on her off-the-shoulder shirt and earrings, and his dancing figures on her hot-pink pants and white ankle boots. To top it off, Barbie's carrying a metallic bag with a Haring illustration of a boom box, and trendy red sunglasses.
Naturally, the entire outfit has a very '80s vibe, and, just as naturally, we're into it. Have we mentioned yet that we really need those boots in our closet? Because we do.
The doll is now available for $50 in retailers across the U.S.


Washington, D.C.: ARTiculate Gallery is doing great work for special needs youth, adults and organizations by providing art-related programs. I'd like to share their story because it's important for humanity and for the arts.
Here's a link to a recent event, the HandReach Children's Healing Initiative fundraiser (while this has just passed, keep in mind they have continuing programs. July 15 is the next). The June event is a fundraiser to ensure that children with traumatic injuries are ensured quality healthcare and education.


The third port on my Coastal California Cruise was San Diego. This is the view from my balcony that morning just before we pulled in to the San Diego harbor to dock. Beautiful sunrise on the rocky cliffs.
I booked a harbor cruise for my shore excursion. It was a nice, relaxing tour around the harbor. The tour was a 1/2 day adventure and I got back to the ship in time for the daily afternoon tea and then dinner at one of the specialty restaurants – Crab Shack – to have an incredible mixed steamer pot with all kinds of seafood!
This is the boat I WISHED we took for the tour!!!
This is the main bridge over the harbor – we passed under it twice!
And there were bunches of people out enjoying the gorgeous day – boating, fishing, etc.
It must be an unwritten law that when you pass another vessel with friendly people onboard, you wave and cheer!
And, then there were the critters….you know I love it when I get to see critters!!!
And, this was the biggest thrill of all!!! We came up on a small boat with a dolphin beside it — the tour guide told us that they were dolphin trainers and they train the dolphins to identify underwater mines and other things. Our guide asked the trainers to tell the dolphin to jump – they gave the jump command and we were the recipients of a wonderful treat!!!
When the tour was over and we were pulling back into the dock, we had a great view of our cruise ship (the one in the foreground) and another Princess cruise ship that was also in port that day!
This is the last of the cruise photos/posts. The next posts will focus on the second week of my vacation – San Francisco, the train ride, and Seattle.
…that's a bunch of boats.


HONOLULU, HI--(Marketwired - Oct 21, 2015) - CDx Diagnostics announced today new data from a prospective multi-center study of more than 12,800 patients demonstrating a significant increase in detection of esophageal pre-cancer, including Barrett's esophagus and dysplasia, with the use of WATS3D biopsy, a three dimensional computer-assisted biopsy system, in community-based settings. The results were announced during a podium presentation today at the American Gastroenterology (ACG) 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting, taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii, from October 16 - 21, 2015.
The study, "Transepithelial Brush Biopsies With Computer-Assisted 3-Dimensional Analysis Markedly Improve Detection of Barrett's Esophagus and Dysplasia: Interim Analysis From a Prospective Multi-Center Community-Based Study," found that the adjunctive use of WATS3D uncovered an additional 2,570 non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus and 213 cases with dysplasia that were undetected with four-quadrant forceps biopsies alone. The augmented yield of adding WATS3D biopsy to the standard biopsy approach was 153% for Barrett's esophagus and 242% for dysplasia.
"The findings from this broad study further validate and confirm the benefits of adopting the WATS3D biopsy within the clinical setting," said Michael S. Smith, MD, MBA, Medical Director of the Esophageal Program and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and senior author of the study. "By adding WATS3D, the sampling was able to identify areas of concern that would otherwise go undetected, ultimately helping us to improve the care of patients with Barrett's esophagus and even save lives."
With more than 12,800 patients, this study enrolled cases with forceps and WATS3D biopsy data results from June 2013 to July 2015 and is the largest WATS3D sample to date. From the analysis, the most common endoscopic indications detected were reflux and Barrett's esophagus.
"This study underscores the importance and value of using WATS3D biopsy to identify esophageal pre-cancer often missed by standard sampling methods," said Mark Rutenberg, Chairman and CEO of CDx Diagnostics. "These results strengthen our growing understanding of the benefits associated with WATS3D and we look forward to continuing to deliver innovative technology and clinical insights to the endoscopy community."
The WATS3D biopsy samples a large tissue area and its computer analysis integrates over 100, one-micron thick optical slices to form a single three dimensional image in which potential abnormality is highlighted to the pathologist.
CDx Diagnostics' mission is to provide doctors with the most powerful diagnostic technology to help prevent cancer before it can start.
CDx Diagnostics' WATS3D biopsy addresses the sampling error inherent in random forceps biopsy testing of the esophagus. In just a few minutes, gastroenterologists can easily obtain a wide area, full-thickness transepithelial tissue sample for computer-assisted 3D laboratory analysis. In clinical trials, adjunctive use of CDx Diagnostics' WATS3D biopsy significantly increased the detection rate of both Barrett's esophagus and esophageal dysplasia.1, 2 The high sensitivity of WATS3D is due to the large tissue area sampled, and the proprietary 3-Dimensionial computer imaging system that is based on an algorithm developed as part of the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative missile defense program. To learn more about WATS3D, visit www.WATS3D.com.
1. Johanson JF, Frakes J, Eisen D et al. Computer-assisted analysis of abrasive transepithelial brush biopsies increases the effectiveness of esophageal screening: a multicenter prospective clinical trial by the EndoCDx Collaborative Group. Dig Dis Sci 2011;56:767-72.
2. Anandasabapathy S, Sontag S, Graham DY et al. Computer-assisted brush-biopsy analysis for the detection of dysplasia in a high-risk Barrett's esophagus surveillance population. Dig Dis Sci 2011;56:761-6.


text:
Testifying About Trauma: A Call for Science and Civility
Kenneth J. Weiss and Alisa R. Gutman
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online March 2017, 45 (1) 2-6;
Kenneth J. Weiss
Dr. Weiss is the Robert L. Sadoff Clinical Professor of Forensic Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program and Dr. Gutman is Clinical Assistant Professor and Medical Director of Penn Human Rights Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Alisa R. Gutman
Traumatic events and their impact on the psyche often find their way into legal matters. It is the trauma, the wound to the body and mind, not the label of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that is the substance of the expert witness's message. Trauma is real, but not always measurable, irrespective of the congruence between reported symptoms and diagnostic criteria. The label represents the wound, but does not describe it palpably. Yet, for the expert witness, the label seems to be the ticket to the show. With PTSD, a person has it or not, based on the presence or absence of criteria. If a diagnosis of PTSD is not made, the personal narrative may go for naught. In our recent experience, expert testimony can be derailed when the explanation of the effects of psychic trauma deteriorates into a falsely dichotomous nitpicking romp through the diagnostic criteria. We are talking about opposing attorneys and the expert witnesses who (over)identify with them. Our nomenclature gives trauma-related events a wide berth and dimensionality. Concurrently, trauma-informed interviewing and therapies have ascended. Is it possible for psychiatric expert testimony to be trauma informed? The adversarial nature of criminal and civil proceedings militates against it, and we would like to see this change. It is important that a change be brought about, as it applies to both perpetrators of violence with histories of trauma and to victims of traumatic incidents seeking legal recourse for harm done to them. When we allow falsely binary measures to arise in the court room, it affects real people who have been through real trauma, and this is unacceptable practice, both professionally and ethically.
Psychic trauma is a wound on many levels: gene expression, neurotransmitters, perception, behavioral predispositions, and worldview. Although we have identified types of situations that give rise to psychic trauma, we are now beginning to learn who is most vulnerable and how protective factors and neuroplasticity shape clinical presentation and prognosis after traumatic incidents. At this moment, we cannot speak the machine language of the brain. We cannot visualize psychic trauma or measure brain healing. Instead, we have personal narratives that variably comport with the idealized template that is our diagnosis.
In the following paragraphs, we examine ways in which the label of PTSD limits us, overshadowing the clinical and science-based information of the effects of trauma on humans. We have been deeply disappointed at the manipulation of diagnostic criteria to invalidate a person's narrative, and offer the view that trauma-informed evaluations and testimony represent an ethical alternative.
Does DSM-5 Help?
Try as we may, there is no keeping the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)1 out of legal matters. In proceedings such as veterans' benefits, personal injury litigation, and criminal prosecutions, fact finders and litigators require a diagnosis. Indeed, a PTSD diagnosis can be a threshold for service-connected benefits, a cash cow for personal-injury attorneys,2 or a convincing reason to grant criminal leniency3 or exculpation.4 We do not dispute the general importance of diagnoses for clinical and business purposes or for professional communication.
There was never a question that psychiatric labels would enter the legal arena. We were warned: When DSM-5 categories, criteria, and textual descriptions are employed for forensic purposes, there is a risk that diagnostic information will be misused or misunderstood. These dangers arise because of the imperfect fit between the questions of ultimate concern to the law and the information contained in a clinical diagnosis [Ref. 1, p 25, Cautionary Statement for Forensic Use of DSM-5].
Psychiatric labels can be helpful or harmful. So potent are our pronouncements that we are prohibited from commenting on manifest psychopathology of public figures.5 The diagnosis of an incurable condition, sociopathy, equated with a death penalty in a not-too-distant iteration of Texas death-penalty law.6,7 A recent flurry of post-Atkins litigation (Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002)) has caused the Supreme Court to revisit the diagnostic scheme for intellectual disability.8 It appears that the state of Texas wishes to reserve the option to use DSM-IV diagnostic criteria,9 which give weight to the numerical IQ score, a matter partially resolved in Hall v. Florida.10 However, Texas's position would tend to retain several inmates, presumably Atkins-qualified under DSM-5 intellectual disability, on death row. Thus, according to AAPL's Amicus brief in Moore v. Texas (not decided at the time of this writing),11,12 the respondent is violating the "evolving standards of decency" that have marked progress in mental health and disability law. We consider the government's high-stakes gamesmanship anathema to our code of conduct.
What about expert witnesses who knowingly participate for the state in these matters? That a psychiatrist would violate an evaluee's rights in death-penalty matters by using a retired diagnostic scheme is indefensible. Yet, when we testify in other matters, for example, personal injury, we can be seduced by a chance to better our colleagues. The subject matter and intricate diagnostic scheme of PTSD are a perfect medium for losing mindfulness of our role in aiding the legal process via fair and reasonably objective information. Trauma is an area in which our diagnostic schema can be particularly limited, in that PTSD is only one of multiple potential psychiatric sequelae of trauma: depression, psychosis, antisocial personality disorder, and other outcomes also may follow traumatic incidents.
It's the Trauma, Not the Label
A few basic assumptions: first, the experience of adverse events is highly individualized. Second, the expression of psychological trauma, largely subjective, takes many forms, some of which are atypical of the idealized DSM version, for example, racism-induced trauma.13 Third, because all learning involves neurochemistry, trauma may have effects that may not be measurable in the short term or by today's technology. Fourth, the practice of trying to appreciate the effects of trauma by descriptive symptom inventories alone is bad clinical practice and worse forensic practice.
That the pathologic anatomy of mental disorders is beyond our reach has often been observed. Expert witnesses cannot be held to a higher standard. Isaac Ray, in his lectures at Jefferson Medical College in the early 1870s,14 provided sound advice for students who may otherwise disbelieve the physical basis of mental disorders. Ray modeled respect for science, tolerance of our ignorance, and maturity in his implicit call for restraint in judgment, his own serenity prayer: Of course, it is not to be doubted that there is in every case of mania an organic change, a deviation from the normal condition. This conclusion, I admit, is almost solely a matter of faith, for as yet the microscope has supplied none of the deficiencies of the scalpel…. At any rate, we have no right to deny any molecular change in insanity, merely because neither the knife nor the microscope has unfolded it to the inspection of our senses (Ref. 14, p 1049).
Trial lawyers have embraced the equation of DSM labels with the diseases themselves. This kind of reification distracts court proceedings from the central question of what happened to a person and the physical basis of consequent phenotypes. We have been impressed that, in both civil and criminal cases, the battleground becomes a question of whether the civil plaintiff or criminal defendant meets criteria for PTSD, not whether there was an index traumatic event that could inform the litigation. If it can be argued by defense counsel (civil) or prosecution (criminal) that the diagnosis does not apply because all criteria have not been met, the trajectory becomes a total negation of the underlying condition. This approach wrongly objectifies the experience and effects of trauma, substituting in their place a list of surface features that can be dispatched by cross-examination. We feel this viscerally in court when opposing counsel has a copy of DSM-5 on the table.
In criminal cases, not only does a history of trauma contribute to the forces that shape violence, but there is a trend toward using trauma in dynamic formulations of behavior. On the defense side, the typical arguments involve how traumatized individuals experience and process information differently, may not immediately appreciate the impact of their reactions on others and should be regarded as less culpable because they are damaged. These dynamics have been most successful in defense of military veterans and victims of domestic violence, but less so with other stressors.15 How does the defendant demonstrate the damage? Not by brain scans, blood tests, or biological markers. The proof is in the symptoms and, of course, in the narrative. But the diagnosis is only as good as the congruence with DSM criteria, and the narrative must have folk-psychological validity. The prosecutor can take the position that trauma never took place, using the gatekeeper criterion A, itself subject to interpretation.16 The easier tack is to deflate the other criteria, which include subjective factors that can be feigned, or by suggesting that the documentation is faulty. For example, in a homicide case with which we are familiar, the prosecutor argued that the defendant could not have PTSD because there was no record of his having functional impairment. That he had undergone war-related trauma and involuntary separation as a child took a back seat to an argument about what amounts to functional impairment in these diagnostic criteria. The jurors, presumably left with the impression that the defendant was manufacturing a psychiatric problem, convicted him quickly.
In the civil domain, because the label of PTSD is so important to personal injury plaintiff attorneys, the pressure on expert witnesses can create distortions, both in the attorney's expectations and in the opinions themselves. It is not uncommon, in our experience, when our diagnosis reflects adjustment disorder, for the attorney to respond, "Can't you give me PTSD?" This is a chilling experience for us, because it raises questions of ethics, such as modifying diagnoses on demand, and conflicts in the economics of practice. As if that were not bad enough, on the defense side, an attorney might say, "The plaintiff's expert says their client has PTSD, but we don't think so." This is equally disturbing, since the expectation is for us to shoot down the label. We have no quarrel with reasonable disagreement, as long as we acknowledge that there is a verifiable trauma, when applicable. Exceptions occur when, for example, a rape is alleged and there are no witnesses, or remote experiences were never documented. Even so, rebuttal experts need not vanquish the evaluee by negating the clinical presentation in its entirety. Perhaps both sides can agree to taking what the evaluee reports, the symptoms are consistent with a trauma- and stressor-related disorder. To do more harm to the evaluee, in our view, is gratuitously competitive and likely evidence of overidentification with the attorney. When we attempt to distill a human being's narrative into discrete criteria, too much nuance is lost. Anyone who works with individuals who have suffered trauma knows that these individual differences in response to trauma are not trivial; they are everything in working with traumatized persons clinically.
Help From Science
Traumatic events create enduring changes within the nervous system that affect not only an individual's experience and memory, but also his predispositions, attitudes, and physical adaptations. These phenotypic variations have the potential to alter and inform posttrauma behavior, which may become the subject of criminal or civil litigation. As one would expect with a complex phenomenon, there is wide variability in the clinical expression of psychological trauma. Some individuals will have full-blown PTSD, whereas others will have an attenuated form. What we considered a common pathway for criterion A in DSM-IV, experiencing the event with intense fear, helplessness, or horror, is now passé. The substrate of human experience and consciousness is beyond our grasp. It is reasonable to set a gatekeeper criterion for the diagnosis of PTSD, since we need a common language and consensus for coding disorders. In doing so, we invite nitpicking over the label, which can become an overvalued focus, obscuring the personal narrative. Beyond that, and despite the best efforts of DSM-5, the clinical presentation of PTSD is hopelessly idiographic: that is, it may be as individualized as a fingerprint or snowflake. Perhaps neuroscience and genetics can help.
Reviewing the importance of neuroscience literacy for psychiatry, Schildkrout stated, "Recent genetic studies have dealt a decisive blow to the notion that DSM/ICD disorders are biologically distinct" (Ref. 17, p 724). Indeed, lists of putative disorders containing surface criteria may soon give way to a substantially broader view of illness. For example, Schildkrout notes: "The field of epigenetics is collapsing the artificial difference between nature and nurture, revealing the true unity of biopsychosocial" (Ref. 17, p 725). Such a transition will be a change in paradigm similar to that described in the 19th century shift in focus from symptoms to coherent phenotypic descriptions of mental disorders.18 The next iteration of nosology will presumably invoke the manifestation of intragenomic changes that have personal and intergenerational effects on what has come to be known as the endophenotype: occupying the "space" between genetics and disease.19 The interaction of genes and environment (G × E), an active research area,20 may play a role in expanded formulations of behavioral dynamics.
The fact of trauma and the nature and magnitude of clinical symptoms are not a perfect match. Intrinsic vulnerability factors for PTSD have been subject to a genome-wide study, with some success.21 It is unlikely that vulnerability will play a significant role in personal-injury litigation, because of the "eggshell plaintiff" principle. However, recent research suggests that generalization of fear stemming from trauma may take longer to return to baseline in persons with clinical PTSD.22 This approach may be useful in explaining why a plaintiff is not necessarily malingering or magnifying symptoms, a perennial bugbear in litigation rhetoric. Neuroplasticity, on the other end of the process, may play a role in the prognostication of PTSD and potentially inform its treatment.23 If it becomes measurable, it opens the door to a new calculus of monetary damages.
Our understanding of the effects of traumatic events, in psychological and biological terms, has been incomplete, which is a handicap for those wishing to educate court proceedings. In a review of biological responses to stress, van der Kolk and Saporta24 note the disconnect between 19th (Janet) and 20th (Sigmund Freud, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Abraham Kardiner, and Roy Richard Grinker, Sr.) century formulations of psychic trauma, on the one hand, and more contemporary studies, on the other. In both instances, there is an emphasis on the association of traumatic events with physiological adaptations, which we regard as symptoms. The disconnect seems to have occurred by our overreliance on the DSM, inattention to fields of science not immediately applicable to our work, and a loss of mindfulness about our being physicians first and agents of litigation second.
Meanwhile, psychiatry has been striving for a comprehensive understanding of mental diseases, and the zeitgeist of our field is moving toward symptom clusters and spectra. We cannot explain these conditions by listing their symptoms alone. To date, however, the language we use in our reports and testimony must reflect the state of the art and avoid untestable or pseudoscientific pronouncements. Kendler recently quoted Burton's 1651 Anatomy of Melancholy: "The tower of Babel never yielded such confusion of tongues, as the chaos of melancholy doth variety of symptoms" (Ref. 25, p 771). So too, in the application of trauma assessments to legal settings, confusing judges and juries is of no value.
In our view, the moral high road is to make the folk-psychological assumption that traumatic events have functional consequences, to discuss these beyond DSM descriptors, and to add science as it becomes available and admissible. That having been said, a word of caution is necessary: the evaluee's narrative must be regarded with circumspection in the forensic setting,26 and not merely channeled by the examiner.27 Instead, as Griffith has suggested, the examiner should be attentive to structuring the narrative, evaluating it, and being mindful of its vocabulary, rhetorical power, and ethics-related dimensions (Ref. 26, pp 126–8). In conveying the trauma victim's history, we must refrain from wearing our hearts on our sleeves, leaving us with lopsided performances on the ethics border.26,28
Instead of playing the shallow DSM game, forensic professionals should take the position that each person experiences and expresses trauma individually, whether the DSM conforms or not. We recommend focusing on what we do best: taking detailed histories and constructing verified personal narratives that shed light on the behavior or damage in question. This suggestion is not meant in the trivial sense: that we record an examination, read records, and supply a formulation. Instead, we would like to see evaluations of individuals claiming psychic trauma elevated to a value higher than winning, regarding sensitivity to an individual's life story and respect for interindividual differences. In effect, we recommend trauma-informed forensic formulations that promote the search for truth above adversarial considerations. This approach leaves room for interpretation of behavior against standards governing criminal behavior, assessment of damages, and eligibility for entitlements, without our falling into a rhetorical quagmire. Let the attorneys form the arguments. In our model, expert witnesses, on both sides of cases, can demonstrate respect for the importance of trauma in the worldview, behavior, and psychobiology of individuals relying on us to contribute to proceedings with dignity and civility.
Disclosures of financial or other potential conflicts of interest: None.
© 2017 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2013
Smith D
: Diagnosing liability: the legal history of posttraumatic stress disorder. Temp L Rev 84:1–69, 2011
Grey BJ
: Neuroscience, PTSD, and sentencing mitigation. Cardozo L Rev 34:53–105, 2012
Hamilton M
: Reinvigorating actus reus: the case for involuntary actions by veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Berkeley J Crim L 16:340–90, 2011
Kroll J,
Pouncey C
: The ethics of APA's Goldwater Rule. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 44:226–35, 2016
Estelle v. Smith, 451 U.S. 454 (1981).
Barefoot v. Estelle, 463 U.S. 880 (1983).
Janofsky JS
: Texas, intellectual disability and the death penalty: Moore v. Texas. Am J Psychiatry Law Newsletter 41:5, 2016
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994
Hall v. Florida, 134 S. Ct. 1986 (2014).
Moore v. Texas, Brief for Amici curiae the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the Constitution Project, and the Southern Center for Human Rights in Support of Petitioner. January 19, 2016
Moore v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court., November 29, 2016. Docket No. 15-797.
Butts HF
: The black mask of humanity: racial/ethnic discrimination and post-traumatic stress disorder. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 30:336–9, 2002
Weiss KJ
: Psychiatry for the general practitioner: Isaac Ray's Jefferson lectures, 1871 to 1873. J Nerv Ment Dis 200:1047–53, 2012
Levin AP,
Kleinman SB,
Adler JS
: DSM-5 and posttraumatic stress disorder. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 42:146–58, 2014
Schildkrout B
: How to move beyond the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders/International Classification of Diseases. J Nerv Ment Dis 204:723–27, 2016
Kendler KS,
Engstrom EJ
: Kahlbaum, Hecker, and Kraepelin and the transition from psychiatric symptom complexes to empirical disease forms. Am J Psychiatry, in press
Young G
: PTSD, endophenotypes, the RDoC, and the DSM-5. Psychol Inj & L 7:75–91, 2014
Sharma S,
Powers A,
Bradley B,
: Gene x environment determinants of stress- and anxiety-related disorders. Annu Rev Psychol 67:239–61, 2016
Xie P,
Kranzler HR,
Yang C,
: Genone-wide association study identifies new susceptibility loci for posttraumatic stress disorder. Biol Psychiatry 74:656–63, 2013
Kaczkurkin AN,
Burton PC,
Chazin SM,
: Neural substrates of overgeneralized conditioned fear in PTSD. Am J Psychiatry, in press
Kays JL,
Hurley RA,
Taber KH
: The dynamic brain: neuroplasticity and mental health. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 24:118–24, 2012
Van der Kolk BA,
Saporta J
: The biological response to psychic trauma: mechanisms and treatment of intrusion and numbing. Anxiety Res 4:199–212, 1991
Kendler KS
: The phenomenology of major depression and the representativeness and nature of DSM criteria. Am J Psychiatry 173:771–80, 2016
Griffith EEH,
Norko MA,
Buchanan A,
Griffith EEH
: Narrative and performance in forensic psychiatry and psychology practice, in Bearing Witness to Change: Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology Practice. Edited by Griffith EEH, Norko MA, Buchanan A, et al. Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, Chapter 7, pp 117–34, 2017
McCarthy J
: Principlism or narrative ethics: must we choose between them? J Med Ethics 29:65–71, 2003
Brooks P
: Narrative transactions: does the law need a narratology? Yale J L Human 18:1–28, 2006
AAPL Meetings
AAPL Annual Review Course
AAPL Practice Guidelines
AAPL Newsletter
AAPL Ethics Guidelines
AAPL Amicus Briefs
Order Physical Copy
Copyright © 2020 by The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law


The UK is expected to see a boom in the number of people deciding to take up cycling following British success in the Tour de France, Olympics and Paralympic Games, as well as the recent Tour of Britain.
Cycling has numerous benefits; saving money, being good for the environment and your health are the main reasons people decide to ditch their cars and use their bicycles to get to and from work. However, many are put off from cycling due to the risk they face on busy, dangerous roads in our towns and cities.
We have put together this infographic to show some key stats into accidents, injuries and the various dangers you may face on the road, as well as some safety important tips to help you to ride your bike with confidence.
Key figures to look out for include the safest and most dangerous areas for cycling in the UK – with Pontypridd in Wales and the Holborn area of London taking these respective crowns.
It also shows that approximately half of all cyclist injuries suffer are to their heads. This shows how important wearing a helmet is; something which Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has argued should be made a legal requirement in recent weeks.
See these stats in more detail, plus much more in the infographic below.


text:
Home News Center In The News Australian Team at the World Stick Fighting Championships in Jakarta
Australian Team at the World Stick Fighting Championships in Jakarta
Vince Palumbo
The Australian Team at the World Stick Fighting Championships in Jakarta were awesome! The Australian Team consisted of many players from Adelaide who train at the International Combative Martial Arts Academy at the club in Welland, South Australia, and the players are the following: Coach and Player Grand Master Vince Palumbo, Vlad Mihal, John Moore, Michael Harris, Gary Smith, Barry Jamieson, Joseph Scali, Andrea Wheatley, Vickie Simos, and Melissa Lopresti.
The Australians really dominated the tournament in every division of the event, and the Aussie Team went on to win the most of the Gold medals in all of the tournament.
Every member of the team won a medal, either a Gold, Silver or the Bronze medal!
Master Vince Palumbo had an outstanding 20 fights in one day, and he went on to win an amazing 10 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals, and a Bronze medal. GM Palumbo was also named player of the tournament by Grand Master Canete.
Other World Champions from the Australian Team were the following John Moore, Joseph Scali, Andrea Wheatley and
Melissa Lopresti.
The Australian Team literally won the hearts of all the initially very hostile and unwelcoming Indonesian crowd of spectators that all just booed the Australian Team when they first marched out into the big stadium with all of the other countries in the parade of players when the games first started, and this is when Master Vince Palumbo asked his team members to remain calm, and he told them all to just keep marching on, then he told the team not to worry because ,'They'll love us in a couple of days!', he said.
Vince Palumbo and Andrea Wheatley Jakarta
What he said was true, and in the second day of big competition, everytime an Australian Team member won a fight, the whole team started to dance in the middle of the sports arena, and before we knew it, all of the Indonesian crowd were dancing with us, it was a really great atmosphere, and everyone had fun, because we all put politics and religion aside, and just treated eachother with respect and warmth, says Palumbo.
On the closing ceremony of the games, Master Palumbo was awarded with a certificate of 'Grand Master 9th Degree Black Belt' status from the 88 year old Supreme Grand Master Ciriaco Canete who is the highest ranked martial artist in the world, and who is the only living 12th Degree Black belt on the planet.
This rank advancement makes Palumbo who has won 10 World Titles and nearly 100 bouts in the sport of Full Contact Stickfighting, so it also makes him one of the youngest legitimate 9th Degree Black Belt Grand Masters in the world now!
Well done to the Australian stickfighting team!!!
By Master Steven Sarkissian
Previous articleDebi Purcell Vale Tudor
Next articleFabricio Werdum
Vince Palumbo started competing in the combat sports fighting arenas at the age of 21, and since his first full-contact fight, he has won many - a State, National and International Titles in the different combat sport disciplines that he has fought in. He has had nearly 300 full-contact fights in the combat arena, and he's competed in the Karate, Taekwondo, Shootboxing, Kickboxing, Boxing, Grappling and Stickfighting Tournaments.
Bottle Cap Challenge 2019
Lady Sensei Chisom Gerry at BLERD CITY CON
International Sports Hall of Fame 2019
Korean Martial Arts Festival 2019
World Head of Family Sokeship Council Events
Bridge the Gap Between Traditional Serrada Escrima and Combative Knife
Vince Palumbo Stick-fighting in China
Grand Master Vincent Palumbo Conducted Workshop in Tasmania
Cacoy Canete: Doce Pares Eskrima Club
Karate the Practical Fighting Art
75th Anniversary Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation


We proffer an equipment and material procurement and supply services to the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. We equally offer support services in the use, installation and maintenance of oilfield equipment. As a company dedicated to excellence, we understand the dynamics of technical specifications of oilfield equipment in oilfield operations and we are thus positioned to deliver these oil tools in line with clients' specifications, on budget and on time. Our role is tounderstand clients' needs, and then source and supply them with all the manufactured goods associated with the exploration, processing and distribution of oil and gas. We directly import these tools from certified manufactures overseas. All our clients expect best available tools and services and we fulfil that expectation by supplying durable and high-quality tools and services that meet and even exceed their specific demands.
With many years' experience in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, ROEC services a number of oil companies in the Niger Delta region in strong relationships that is based on trust and fairness.
Valves: check valves, globe valves, control valves and relief valves; elbows, tees, flanges, double block and bleeds, instrumentation, barrel doors, air actuators, pig launcher materials, pipes, welders and leak clamps and a number of other tools and specialized equipment used in oilfield operations.


property where you get a real sense of how wine is grown and produced, plus you can enjoy the amenities and local ambiance with your free time.
Pickup your rental car at a conveniently located Hertz office. Detailed driving instructions to your villa choice are included in your Avanti documents. Upon arrival you will be greeted by the proprietors of the villa who will provide you with your wine-tastingschedule. After free time to freshen up and explore the property, your dinner with beverage is served.
your car and driving to your Villa, especially if this is your arrival day inEurope.
At your Villa: After breakfast at the villa, you havetime at leisure to explore the grounds before your wine tasting either at your host villa, or at a nearby wine producing property. If visiting a nearby winery, dinner is on your own. You will be provided a detailed map and driving directions to this property.
If your tasting is at your host villa, your evening meal is included.
hands-on knowledge of some very fine Italian vintages.
produced, plus you can enjoy the amenities and local ambiance with your free time.